Gingerbread Linzer Cookies
The dough for these cookies starts out soft and fragrant, then firms into a neat disk after an hour in the refrigerator. That chill makes the rolling and cutting much…
By Ava
•
•
Reading time: 9 min
Tip: save now, make later.
The dough for these cookies starts out soft and fragrant, then firms into a neat disk after an hour in the refrigerator. That chill makes the rolling and cutting much less fussy, especially when you’re making both solid rounds and little center windows. I like how the gingerbread spices stay clear against the bright raspberry preserves, while the almond flour gives the cookies a tender bite without making them fragile.
Roll the dough between parchment sheets and aim for an even 1/8 inch thickness. That small bit of care matters more than fancy cutters: the tops and bottoms bake together, so they need to finish at the same time. Once the cookies are cool, a light sift of powdered sugar and a spoonful of preserves turn the simple rounds into pretty little sandwich cookies with a bright red center.
Kitchen Note
Dust the windowed tops with powdered sugar before you add the preserves to the bottoms. The sugar stays on the cookie instead of landing on the glossy jam, so the little windows remain clear and bright.
Save these gingerbread Linzer cookies for a bake with crisp-edged spice cookies, raspberry centers, and a pretty powdered-sugar window.
Why the Windowed Tops Need the Same Thickness as the Bases
Linzer cookies look delicate, but the little window makes even baking especially important. If the top round is thicker than its base, it can still look pale when the bottom is ready; if it’s thinner, the edge may darken before the larger cookie is baked through. Keeping every piece at the same thickness gives the whole sheet a better chance of finishing together.
The window also gives you a useful visual cue once the cookies are assembled: you can see the raspberry preserves, not just guess where the filling is. Cut the opening from half the rounds, and keep those tops paired with solid rounds of the same size. The dough scraps can be rerolled, so you don’t need to discard the trimmings. Aim for tidy matching pieces rather than pressing or stretching the dough after cutting; that keeps the outlines clean and the finished sandwiches easy to stack.
What Gives These Gingerbread Cookies Their Tender Bite
- All-purpose flour and almond flour — The all-purpose flour gives the dough structure, while finely ground almond flour brings a tender, delicate texture. Use flour that’s spooned into the measuring cup and leveled rather than packed; coarse almond meal won’t blend as smoothly into the dough.
- Unsalted butter and light brown sugar — Softened butter creams smoothly with the sugar and helps the dough roll once chilled. The packed brown sugar adds moisture and a mild caramel note that suits the molasses; butter that’s cold from the refrigerator won’t cream properly.
- Unsulfured molasses — This is the deep, rounded gingerbread note in the dough. Use unsulfured molasses, not blackstrap, which has a much more intense taste and can overpower the warm spices.
- Ginger and the supporting spices — Ground ginger leads, with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg filling out the familiar gingerbread character. Fresh, fragrant ground spices make a noticeable difference here because the cookie has no chocolate or other strong flavor to hide stale spice.
- Egg yolk and vanilla extract — The yolk helps bring the dough together and adds richness, while vanilla rounds out the molasses and spice. Separate the yolk cleanly so extra egg white doesn’t change the dough’s balance.
- Raspberry preserves and powdered sugar — Preserves give the sandwiches their tart, fruity center; choose a spreadable preserve rather than a stiff, dry one. Sift the powdered sugar so it falls in a fine layer over the cutout tops instead of clumping.
From Chilled Dough to Neat Raspberry Windows
Mix a Smooth, Evenly Spiced Dough
Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth, then mix in the dry ingredients on low just until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Divide the dough in half, shape each portion into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
Roll and Cut the Matching Rounds
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll one disk between sheets of parchment to 1/8 inch thick, then cut 2 1/2-inch rounds; cut a 1-inch window from the center of half the rounds. Reroll scraps as needed, then repeat with the second disk. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets and refrigerate the cutouts for 15 minutes.
Bake Until the Tops Look Dry
Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes. Look for edges that are set and tops that look dry; the cookies shouldn’t need to turn deeply brown to be ready. If the centers still look shiny, give them another moment and check again rather than relying on color alone. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.
Fill and Sandwich the Cookies
Sift the powdered sugar over the windowed cookies while they’re still separate. Spread about 1 teaspoon of raspberry preserves on each whole cookie, keeping the filling inside the edges so it doesn’t squeeze out when you add the top. Set a windowed cookie over each filled base and press gently enough to join the two pieces without cracking the top. The preserves should show through the center opening.
Two Simple Ways to Change the Cookie Format
Try a Different Center Window
Keep the same 1-inch opening but cut a small square or other simple shape instead of a round window. The spice dough and raspberry filling stay exactly the same, while the tops look a little more graphic; avoid a complicated cutout with narrow points, which is more likely to break when you lift it.
Make Windowless Gingerbread Rounds
For a simpler cookie plate, cut the dough into rounds without making center windows, then bake and cool them the same way. Leave out the preserves and sift powdered sugar over the cooled rounds. You’ll get the same gingerbread-spiced cookie in a sturdier, single-layer shape rather than a filled sandwich.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Keep assembled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The cookies soften as they sit against the preserves.
- Freezer: Freeze the cooled, unfilled cookies in an airtight container with parchment between layers for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then add the powdered sugar and preserves before serving.
- Reheating: These cookies are best served at room temperature, so skip reheating; warming them can soften the cookies and make the preserves run.
Questions I Get Asked About Gingerbread Linzer Cookies
Gingerbread Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, table salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the molasses, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture on low speed just until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll one disk between sheets of parchment to 1/8 inch thick and cut 2 1/2-inch rounds.
- Cut a 1-inch window from the center of half the rounds, rerolling scraps as needed.
- Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets and repeat with the remaining disk.
- Refrigerate the cutouts for 15 minutes.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look dry.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Sift the powdered sugar over the windowed cookies.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of raspberry preserves on each whole cookie.
- Top each whole cookie with a windowed cookie.